Religion & Law

Christian legal group mulls appeal options following ?Commandments? ruling

Posted on June 11, 2009
Eric Young reports in the Christian Post: "'Americans shouldn?t be forced to abandon their religious heritage simply to appease someone?s political agenda,' said Kevin Theriot, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund."

Texas: Grim story of San Antonio sex trade

Posted on June 11, 2009
Michell Mondo reports in the Express-News: "Badillo said the girl, whom authorities are calling Angela, was lured into prostitution at age 11, soon after running away from home. For the next four years, she endured abuse and forced prostitution."

?Male, female, other: Biology rules; Sex categorization is futile?

Posted on June 11, 2009
Thomas A. Marino, professor of anatomy and cell biology at Temple University School of Medicine, writes at the Philadelphia Inquirer: "No matter what they do to ban or legalize same-sex marriage, there is no way to reliably enforce such a law. The problem revolves around three questions: What do they mean by sex? Who determines a person's sex? And how is it determined?"

UK: Catholic mom?s son fostered by homosexual couple against her wishes

Posted on June 11, 2009
Catholic News Agency: "A Catholic mother in Britain who is unable to care for her son has objected to him being placed in the foster care of a homosexual couple. She has expressed concern the couple could encourage him into a way of life she does not agree with, amid reports the boy is already asking about homosexuality...

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

Both abstinence and contraception in NC ?sex ed? compromise

Posted on June 11, 2009
Jordan Schrader reports in the Citizen-Times: "Students would hear both a message of abstinence and more instruction about contraception under changes legislators made Wednesday to a proposal for statewide sex education."

Arizona GOP advances limits on abortion

Posted on June 11, 2009
Casey Newton reports in the Arizona Republic: "Two bills restricting abortions advanced on Wednesday, increasing the likelihood Republican lawmakers in Arizona will achieve one of their highest legislative priorities by the end of the session." Senate Bill 1206 Senate Bill 1138

La. Senate panel advances medical conscience bill

Posted on June 11, 2009
Jordan Blum reports at 2 The Advocate: "Legislation to allow medical workers to opt out of performing services for moral or religious reasons narrowly passed out of a state Senate committee Wednesday. The Senate Health and Welfare Committee approved House Bill 517 on a 3-2 vote after tinkering with some of the language...

Texas groups urge Perry to veto bill increasing CPS power

Posted on June 11, 2009
Aman Batheja reports in the Star-Telegram: "A coalition of conservative and libertarian groups is urging Gov. Rick Perry to veto a bill that would make it easier for Child Protective Services to remove children from a home while investigating possible abuse...

Debate erupts over Muslim school in Virginia

Posted on June 11, 2009
Theo Emory reports in the New York Times: "But others object to the academy?s curriculum, saying it espouses a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam known as Wahhabism. A leafletslipped into mailboxes in early spring called the school 'a hate training academy' ...

ACLU wants La. to ban creationism and intelligent design in public schools

Posted on June 11, 2009
Associated Press: "New rules for teaching science in Louisiana should include specific prohibitions on the teaching of scientific creationism and intelligent design, the American Civil Liberties Union said today."

Sotomayor, Catholic Supremacy, and Protestant Approaches to Law

Posted on June 11, 2009
Jordan Ballor writing at First Things: "At the same time the number of Protestants on the court will fall to a historic low?with David Souter?s retirement, John Paul Stevens will be the lone Protestant. With Catholic representation on the land?s highest court at its apex, and Protestant representation at its nadir, the question must be asked whether this reflects a shift in the balance of legal influence reflective of underlying deficiencies in American Protestantism...

Appeals court declares Ten Commandments monument unconstitutional

Posted on June 11, 2009
Adelle M. Banks reporting at Christianity Today (RNS): "The Alliance Defense Fund, which represented the commissioners, said it is considering an appeal. 'Small-town government officials have just as much right to express their personal opinions about monuments as those in larger cities,' said ADF Senior Counsel Kevin Theriot...

Jeremy Dys: Save marriage for future generations

Posted on June 11, 2009
Jeremiah Dys of the Family Policy Council of West Virginia writes at the West Virginia Record: William Eskridge of Yale Law School says he hopes same-sex "marriage" will "dethrone the traditional family based on blood relationships in favor of families we choose...

Karl Rove: ?How to Stop Socialized Health Care: Five arguments Republicans must make?

Posted on June 11, 2009
Karl Rove writes in the Wall Street Journal: "It was a sobering breakfast with one of the smartest Republicans on Capitol Hill. We can fix a lot of bad stuff President Barack Obama might do, he told me. But if Mr. Obama signs into law a 'public option,' government-run insurance program as part of health-care reform we won't be able to undo the damage...

Board of Elections and Ethics to vote on ?gay marriage referendum?

Posted on June 11, 2009
Adam Serwer writes at Tapped, the group blog of the American Prospect: "Proponents of the referendum included Bishop Harry Jackson, often the religious right's point man on such issues in communities of color, as well as Brian Raum, a lawyer for the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal group founded by James Dobson, among others...

National Standards, National Curriculum Dangerous

Posted on June 11, 2009
"At the moment, parents have the right to reject any part of their state?s standards or district curriculum and teach their children at home."

Valedictorian repeats oldest sister?s feat

Posted on June 11, 2009
Lisa Roose-Church reports in the Daily Press & Argus: "Although teaching suit her, McGuire felt something was missing and she returned to college, eventually graduating cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School in 2008. . . . McGuire also learned about an organization called the Alliance Defense Fund, which is comprised of attorneys who defend the First Amendment guarantees of religious freedom...

Judge to hear arguments in prayer lawsuit

Posted on June 11, 2009
Wesley Young reports in the Winston-Salem Journal: "Both sides presented their last written arguments in the case in mid-May. The county is being defended by the Alliance Defense Fund, which has fought similar ACLU suits elsewhere . . . Michael Johnson, the lead ADF attorney for the county, said that both sides are ready to argue the case and get a ruling...

Sotomayor: Never thought about rights of unborn

Posted on June 11, 2009
One News Now: "President Obama's Supreme Court nominee has made an astonishing admission -- she has never considered whether an unborn child has any rights."

When the Right to Die Becomes a Duty

Posted on June 11, 2009
Collen Carroll Campbell writes at the Ethics and Public Policy Center: "Consider the case of Barbara Wagner, an Oregon woman who was diagnosed with a recurrence of lung cancer last year at age 64 . . . The response she received shocked her. Oregon state officials sent a letter saying that they would not pay for medication to extend her life, but they would foot the drug bill for an assisted suicide -- an expenditure of roughly $50...

House Committee Approves Engraving ?In God We Trust? in Capitol Visitor Center

Posted on June 11, 2009
CNSNews: "The House Administration Committee has unanimously approved a resolution directing the Architect of the Capitol to engrave the National Motto -- 'In God We Trust' ? and the Pledge of Allegiance inside the new Capitol Visitor Center (CVC)."

Americans Love Government

Posted on June 11, 2009
Walter Williams writes at CNSNews: "If the average American were asked his opinion of congressmen, among the more polite terms you?ll hear are thieves and crooks, liars and manipulators, hustlers and quacks. But what do the same people say when our nation faces a major problem? 'Government ought to do something!' When people call for government to do something, it is as if they?ve been befallen by amnesia and forgotten just who is running government...

Donald Trump Fires Miss California USA

Posted on June 11, 2009
CNSNews: "Trump and other pageant leaders said Prejean was being sacked not because of her controversial remarks but because she hadn't been holding up her end of the agreement she signed when she entered the pageant."

Bill Defines ?Permanent Partners? As Immediate Family for Immigration Purposes

Posted on June 11, 2009
CNSNews: "An immigration bill introduced in the House of Representatives last week would allow homosexuals to sponsor their 'permanent partners' for residency in the United States in the same way that heterosexual married couples are allowed to do. Critics say the legislation opens the door to widespread fraud...

Rhode Island: Lawmakers urged to block prostitution bill

Posted on June 11, 2009
Providence Journal: "Civil libertarians, social workers and advocates for women?s rights are calling for state lawmakers to vote down a bill pending in the General Assembly to criminalize prostitution in Rhode Island."

Idaho: Petition seeks to allow Bible in schools

Posted on June 11, 2009
Idaho Statesman: "The 'Initiative Allowing School Boards to Permit the Bible to be Studied as Literature and for its Influence on History' would allow school boards to offer elective classes that study the Bible in a nondoctrinal manner, Seldon said in an interview Tuesday...

Singapore Court Sentences Christian Couple To 8 Weeks In Jail For Distributing Gospel Tracts

Posted on June 11, 2009
Religion Clause Blog: "Ong Kian Cheng and his wife Dorothy Chan Hien Leng were charged with giving copies of Christian publications titled 'The Little Bride' and 'Who is Allah?' to Muslims who were offended by them."

David French: Free Speech at Bucknell

Posted on June 11, 2009
ADF Attorney David French, Director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, writes at the National Review Phi Beta Cons Blog: "It is remarkably common for university administrators (and virtually any other form of government or private official) to view religious speech as "special" ? and not in a good way...

TIME: ?China Netizens Angry Over Web Porn Crackdown?

Posted on June 11, 2009
TIME: "This is flat-out corruption," wrote one infuriated netizen on China's popular website Tianya.com. "If a government keeps dumbing down its people like this, how can it ever be respected by the rest of the world?" wrote another. "Our society is moving backwards...

Texas Supreme Court could consider strip club fee

Posted on June 11, 2009
Dallas Morning News: "Texas Solicitor General James Ho, the state's top appellate attorney, has asked the Texas Supreme Court to consider the constitutionality of Texas adult entertainment fee -- a $5 tax on admission to strip clubs . . . You can read the petition here: Petition for Review...

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.